


After The Fall

by jessebee



Series: On The Brink [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Original Trilogy (post-canon)
Genre: Conversations, Cuddling & Snuggling, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/M, M/M, Multi, Napping, Polyamorous Character, Post-Canon, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-08 23:54:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8868127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessebee/pseuds/jessebee
Summary: Now what?(immediate sequel to Precipice)





	

 

 

Luke felt it in the Force before he felt the tremor of overtaxed muscles beneath his fingers – Han was like a landing-beacon sometimes, weirdly strong for a sentient who wasn't actually Force-sensitive. “Han, we need to get you up off the floor here, you need to rest.” And that wasn’t going to happen with the three of them like they were now, tumbled together in a pup-pile on the floor of the _Falcon's_ rear cargo hold.

“I am restin'; ain't moving, am I?” Han said, which might have been more convincing if the words hadn't slurred around the edges.

“Nice try, pirate, but no,” Leia said. She turned in Luke's arms and peered up into Han's face. “It's back to bed for you – ”

“Oh, come _on_ ,” Han groused, and Luke had to grin. “I've just spent the last what? Five days? In bed!”

“Not something you usually complain about,” Leia countered smoothly.

“In bed _alone_ ,” Han clarified.

“And asleep for most of it,” Leia said. “Not that much would have happened if you _had_ been been awake.”

“That,” Han said flatly, “is so not the point – all right! All right, put the glare away, I’ll go quietly – as long as you both come with.”

And Luke _wanted_ that, suddenly, wanted it with a ferocity that flared hot through his own exhaustion – to simply lie down with Han and do nothing more than rest, Leia close beside them, but – “Han, we won’t – ”

“Nobody’s in any shape for anything, including me, it’s not that, I just – ” Han took a deep, slow breath. “I just want you next to me,” he finished softly.

Luke smiled at him, a little helplessly. “I was just going to say, I don’t think there’s a bed we’ll all fit in.”

“Actually, I think there is,” Leia said.

 

It turned out to be the one in Leia’s quarters, a largish one that she’d acquired, as it happened, right before she and Luke had gone to meet up with Han and Chewie on the disaster of a trip they’d just survived. Luke figured he didn’t need to ask why; he’d heard enough grumbling from Han over the years about the size – or lack of – in the usual Rebel bunks, they were half the reason Han’d chosen to sleep on the _Falcon_ much of the time.

Han dropped onto the mattress with an ill-disguised sigh of relief. That he chose not to let go of either Luke or Leia when he did meant that they all wound up in a heap of warm limbs tangled on the pale sand-toned coverlet.

“That’s more like it,” Han said, a little breathless, probably from Luke landing half on top of him. But a firm grip stopped Luke’s move to shift his weight. “No you don’t, you stay put, got you right where I want you.”

“Han, you can’t breathe.” Luke managed to at least slide his shoulder off of Han’s chest.

“Ah, who needs that?”

“You do, goof,” Leia said, her smile gathering Luke in on the joke, and Luke had to swallow against a sudden lump in his throat. Her love for them both was so vivid, two different chords but equally strong, high notes in harmony with Han’s deeper ones, muted but no less powerful. And undeniably for Luke.

How was he a part of this? But he _was_ , so clearly, now that he saw things for what they were rather than what he'd thought they had to be.

“Luke?”

“Nothing,” he said, smiling. “I'm just happy.”

“'N you're outta practice with that, aren't you?” Han murmured, his eyes closed now. “'S okay, we'll remind you.”

Leia freed up a hand and reached across to take one of Luke's, and rested them both on Han's chest. Luke squeezed her fingers and put his head down, onto Han's shoulder, and just breathed, the air shivery in his throat.

*

“He's gonna stay now?”

Very soft, but Luke knew he wasn't dreaming.

“He's not leaving _us_ , no.” Leia, equally quiet. “But he wants to search for traces of the Jedi; that won't have changed.”

“We'll just go with him, then,” Han murmured, the words a rumble deep in his chest, somewhere beneath Luke's ear.

“It's not that easy.”

“Is for me.”

A sharp breath. “Han – ”

“Hey, no, wait, wait. That's not what I meant. Leia, you know me, I've _got_ to move. The Rebels shifted around enough, mostly, but now … I _**don't**_ wanna be away from you, but … ”

“… but _I_ can't just pick up whenever and go. My place is with the New Republic leadership and Senate. It's my _life_ , what I've always worked toward. But you're – afraid of what might happen if you stay put.”

“Leia – ”

“Han, it's all right. It's not – how I thought we might be, but it'll be all right. My parents were apart for much of my life, Father was a senator and Mother's duty was to Alderaan above all else. But they were happy. It can work. It _will_ work, if we are willing to _make_ it work.”

Silence. Then –

“You're amazing, you know that?” Han's voice sounded a little thick.

“I know,” Leia said, warm, almost playful. “And you can join the conversation anytime now, brother of mine.”

Han twitched under him as Luke yawned, then stretched.

“Bad habit there, kid, eavesdropping. Jedi teach you that?” Han said as Luke finally decided to open his eyes.

“Naah.” Luke rubbed his cheek against Han's shirt, crumpled and body-warm. The man didn't make the most comfortable pillow but Luke wasn't moving until he had to. “D-pad I read as a kid, '101 Sneaky Tricks For All Occasions'.”

“That sounds useful.”

“Think your – ” Luke yawned again “ – your name was on it.” He heard Leia snicker. “So, our lives all arranged?” He _felt_ his bedmates go still, and he was going to have to move a bit after all, dammit.

When he raised his head, both their expressions were a little stricken and it wasn’t a good look on either of them. “Hey,” Luke said gently, propping his head on his hand, “it’s how our lives intersect right now. It’ll be easier in the future.”

“Force tell you that?” Han asked, brusquely but with a lot less sarcasm than he once would have used.

 _No, not exactly._ Luke shook his head. “It’s not like that datapad, I can’t just read it, even when I can see it. The future is fluid, ever-changing. And I think – it’s a blessing not to know, sometimes. Who’s to say what’s good and what’s not? If I’d known you’d be poisoned and stopped it happening somehow, then … ”

“ … would we all be together now?” Leia finished, her face thoughtful beneath her sleep-mussed hair.

Luke nodded.

“Well, that kinda philosophy ain’t my thing, but I’ll tell you this,” Han said. He reached up and brushed one finger, exquisitely gently, along Luke’s bottom lip. “I’ll take that again and worse, if it gets us here.”

*

*

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> After The Fall  
> 12.16.16  
> (sequel to Precipice)
> 
> For culturevulture73, who wanted the conversation that happened next. Major thanks and squishes to HollyC who has, as always, pointed out what I didn't want to see and made this better.


End file.
